Cognitive development, self-efficacy, and wearable technology use in a virtual reality language learning environment: A structural equation modeling analysis

This action research study has two aims: (i) to develop a wearable virtual reality language-learning platform for English for specific purposes and (ii) to examine student learning effectiveness and the relationship between self-efficacy and behavioral intention. The participants are 131 university students in Taiwan. A model of wearable virtual reality language-learning based on structural equation modeling is built. A path analysis indicates that self-efficacy directly influences students' perceptions of ease of use of the wearable virtual reality technology and indirectly influences perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention. Student self-efficacy is slightly above the moderate level. Gender and English proficiency have an effect on student self-efficacy and behavioral intention, whereas students' online and virtual reality learning experiences have no significant effect on these variables. This new environment is shown to facilitate student learning: the pretest and posttest results indicate improvements in lexical and semantic knowledge, reading comprehension, and syntax. The study implies that since self-efficacy is a crucial determinant in student technology use, educators should enhance student self-efficacy in order to encourage them to try innovative technology.

Automated summary

This action research aims to develop a wearable virtual reality language-learning platform for English for specific purposes and examine student learning effectiveness and the relationship between self-efficacy and behavioral intention. The study shows that student self-efficacy significantly influences their perception of the ease of use of the technology, and educators should focus on enhancing student self-efficacy to encourage them to try innovative technology.